New research by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) has concluded that the emiriate’s groundwater supplies will run out within 50 years. The UAE currently uses 2.1bn cubic metres of water every year. Strategies being put into place to deal with the problem include restrictions on the building of new water wells, educating farmers on best practice, reducing consumption and making use of waste and desalinated water. Permission will be required for all new wells to be built and in certain red zones, this will be denied as a matter of course. Acting executive director of environment quality sector at…

Abu Dhabi’s first health focused, mixed use development has opened its doors to its first tenants. The 241,985m2 development, by Al Forsan Real Estate, has 385 villas for lease and for sale, 440 one to four bedroom apartments, 15,000m2 of retail space known as The Town Square and a five star hotel. With its emphasis on healthy living, Al Forsan Village has a 1.7km jogging track, three adult swimming pools with an additional three for children, landscaped green spaces, playgrounds and water features. Speaking at the…

The Dubai Municipality announced yesterday that the Garden Glow Park would remain open until Ramadan thanks to massive public demand. The park has an energy efficiency theme, with 150,000 people visiting since it opened last December. Mohammad Abdul Rahman Al Awadi, Director of Public Parks and Horticulture Department said: “We saved 80 per cent of energy as only 20 per cent of energy was consumed.” For more information about the park click here for the Dubai Municipality.

Government agencies in the UAE and The Netherlands are working together to develop new ways of dealing with water scarcity. While the countries have very different climates, they both have freshwater management difficulties. The Dutch envoy for international water affairs, Henk Ovink was at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which took place from 16-23 January. He said: “It is an opportunity for the UAE to collaborate across the Gulf and for The Netherlands to bring knowledge and expertise to that collaboration and strengthen the approach of water resilience.” Mr Ovink explained that such collaboration could include improving the ways in which…

First Solar and the Al Watania Agriculture Company announced the completion in January of a pilot project to evaluate the use of solar electricity for sustainably powered irrigation in Saudi Arabia. First Solar’s advanced thin film photovoltaic PV modules power groundwater extraction and distribution at a 25,688m2 site on the not-for-profit Al Watania Organic farm. The 319km2 farm is Saudi Arabia’s largest producer of organic products. The installed PV generator will pump over 3.1m cubic meters of water per year from 150 boreholes. The solar plant replaces a diesel generator, which run continuously would consume 628,000L of diesel per year….

The 50,000m2 Capital Garden in Abu Dhabi has been landscaped anew in a complete ‘facelift’. New facilities at the park include two multi-purpose playgrounds fitted with swings, slides and monkey bars, as well as a sports area with a basketball court and football nets. Also known as Al Aseema Park, the area was first built in 1976 and is one of the oldest in the capital city. The central projects of the new renovation spanned 8,110m2 of the park’s grounds. Capital Garden is also home to a popular sprawling fountain, relaxation areas for families, a mosque and a restaurant. Capital…

Trees ranging between the ages of 200 and 300 years from Italy have been imported into Dubai. Dubai Parks and Resorts, the company working on the theme park project in Jebel Ali, reported it has imported 14 eight-metre tall olive trees for landscaping use in the project. The trees will be planted in the theme park after being sourced from various plantations in Tuscany as well as southern Italy. The company also stated it has acquired 15,860 trees, 6,100 palms and over 1.4 million shrubs and groundcovers. According to reports, more than 376 different plant species have been sourced locally…

Welcome to the December 2015/January 2016 issue of Pro Landscaper Gulf. News shed: The latest industry news from across the Gulf region Design has a new home: Duncan Denley, MD of desert INK, explains how a new home for his team has inspired and influenced their work Let there be light: TerraVerde’s Chris Parker says good, effective lighting should be high on the agenda when it comes to garden design Irrigation isn’t always the answer: Mark Laurence says that in light of shifting climates, the goal has to be minimal water use The business of mobile marketing: InTarget Group CMO Mike Laws offers tips…

A study released in Dubai has indicated that the Gulf region will accommodate the construction of real estate and tourist projects at a cost of more than $20bn in the next four years. With the latest statistics indicating that the Gulf’s population has reached 57 million, the ongoing real estate expansion will continue to accommodate population growth. According to the study, the real estate and construction market in the Gulf is still going through a very positive growth period. The research firm that conducted the study, Capital, stated that strong population growth in the Gulf is contributing to the high…

Doha has been ranked as the most expensive city for construction in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. The Qatar capital was also ranked 12th globally on the 2016 International Construction Costs Index compiled by Arcadis. Other GCC cities which ranked included Jeddah in 16th place and Dubai in 18th position. The report stated that local labour markets and resource availability had benefitted cities in the GCC, but strong currency performance and falls in oil prices had impacted construction costs. Doha is invested heavily in building infrastructure ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha. New York ranked as the…